The Mirror

In my novel Otherworld, I introduced a little object that has some significance for the main character, Emma Delaney—a small mirror. Cale Kynsey gives it to her to show her some important things about herself. But there are things we can learn from the mirror, too.

Emma’s mirror shows her three different reflections of herself: How she looks to the rest of the world, how she views herself, and how she truly is.

It may seem like these three images should be one in the same, but for Emma, and for most of us, they’re not.

Have you ever had the experience where someone close to you has spoken some truth about you, about the way they see you, that you find hard to believe because it doesn’t match the way you see yourself? In fact, I would guess that most of us have a much less favourable view of ourselves than others do. We have a hard time believing that others can find us beautiful, talented, brave, or strong, because we don’t see it.

I’d like to suggest that the way we view ourselves is skewed. That’s not so much of a stretch. But I think that the way others view us is distorted, too.

After all, if we can’t know ourselves for who we really are, then why would we think that others can? But if we can’t, and others can’t, then who really knows what we are?

Think of a work of art. People in an art gallery can view it, interpret it, muse over it. But only the artist can say what it really means. Only the artist can reveal its true purpose.

That was why Cale gave Emma the mirror—so she could always see how she truly looks to him. To her creator.

What about you? Are you trusting your own distorted view of yourself? Are you leaning on the praise or criticism of others? Or are you looking in the mirror that shows you who you really are, who you were created to be?